Chao ADR PC

After leading BigLaw teams for years in high stakes and precedent setting cases in U.S. courts and international arbitration tribunals, Cedric Chao in May 2019 launched a boutique enabling him to sit as arbitrator, mediator and special master and to advise clients on cross-border disputes. He takes litigation matters on a selective basis.

Mr. Chao was a partner for 29 years at Morrison & Foerster, LLP, where in addition to his US courtroom practice, he established in the late 1990's and then led and co-led the firm's international litigation and arbitration practice. In 2013, he lateraled to DLA Piper LLP (US) where he served as the US head of the firm's international arbitration practice. Mr. Chao's experience as first chair advocate in five disputes where the amount at issue exceeded $1 billion and in multiple others where the amount was in the hundreds of millions of dollars, his comfort with complex commercial and technology disputes, his familiarity with many industries and fields of practice, and his work with clients and firms across continents, gives him a "big picture," multi-cultural advantage in resolving disputes.

Cedric Chao has led teams in arbitration proceedings around the world under the rules of the ICC, ICDR, SIAC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, AAA and JAMS, and has sat under the arbitration rules of the ICC, ICDR, and SIAC, as presiding, sole, and wing arbitrator.

Mr. Chao has appeared in federal trial courts around the U.S., and in the state courts throughout California. He has argued 13 times before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, including once to an en banc panel, once before the Fifth Circuit, once before the U.S. Supreme Court, and four times before the California State Court of Appeal. He has second chaired four additional Ninth Circuit arguments, one Tenth Circuit argument, and one additional U.S. Supreme Court argument